clogged milk ducts

Anna - posted on 07/13/2010
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OMG!!! This is my 3rd child. I didn't nurse my first and then I only nursed my 2nd for a couple months because of clogged milk ducts. I am now nursing my 3rd and she is 14 weeks old and I just got my first clogged milk duct and it hurts so bad. I talked to a LC and was told the only way to get it un clogged was to continue to nurse. Anyone else have this problem and other solutions? I really want to nurse until at least 6 months if not longer.

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Carrie - posted on 07/13/2010

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I filled a sock with rice and microwaved it for 30s prior to breastfeeding. Applying heat and squeezing the area while baby eats should help. After they eat try to pump or hand-express to remove any remaining milk. I had several the first months because he wasn't removing all the milk, so I had him nurse more frequently, starting on the affected side first, and squeezing the area pretty hard. Get as much rest as possible, because that helped too. My husband was willing to help out more knowing I was in pain and that I needed to make sure our son ate enough. Hope this helps, and hope you feel better soon!

I only had a few clogs, but boy were they painful. I found what worked best wast to apply firm pressure to the painful duct while my son nursed from that breast first and then put a warm compress on it while he nursed from the other. Hope you feel better soon!

I've had trouble with clogged ducts also, and they definitely do hurt. You should definitely continue to nurse, and you should try changing the position in which you hold the baby to make sure to drain all of the ducts. Also, this is going to sound weird, but my LC suggested this to me and it worked. If your baby will do it, lie him/her on his/her back on the bed and then get over them on all 4's and have them nurse like that. In that position, gravity will also help get the duct cleared out. Applying heat to the area that's clogged (a hot pack, a wet dishrag zapped in the microwave) can also help. The last piece of advice I got was that babies suck harder when they start nursing, so always start your baby on the side with the clogged duct, that way you can get the most powerful sucking working on the clog. Good luck!!